Conventional examples of such an apparatus include an inkjet printing apparatus. The inkjet printing apparatus includes inkjet heads configured to discharge ink droplets to a print medium (e.g., web paper), a mechanism configured to move the inkjet heads and the print medium relatively, and a drying unit configured to dry the ink droplets adhering to (impacting on) the print medium.
Examples of the drying unit include one having a heat drum (also referred to as a heating roller) with a heater embedded therein. See, for example, Japanese Patent Publication No. 2010-188708A. A back face of the print medium contacts the heat drum, and is wound on the heat drum. Here, the heat drum is pre-heated. Accordingly, when the print medium passes while being wound on the heat drum, the ink droplets adhering to the print medium is dried with heat from the heat drum. Examples of the drying unit include another one having a warm-air supplying unit configured to supply warm air to a front face of a printing sheet. See, for example, Japanese Patent Publication No. 2010-082937A. A conventional inkjet printing apparatus 301 includes a drying unit 319. The drying unit 319 includes a heat drum 331 and additionally a warm-air supplying unit 333 as illustrated in FIG. 20. Here, the inkjet head is denoted by a numeral 323, and the print medium (web paper) is denoted by a numeral WP.
Moreover, Japanese Patent Publication No. 2011-230494A discloses an inkjet recorder. The inkjet recorder includes a blowing mechanism configured to blow hot air onto a recording medium (a print medium) to be transported, and a preheating unit configured to heat the print medium at an upstream side in an area in a direction in which the hot air flows. Japanese Patent Publication No. 2010-137399A discloses an inkjet recording device having a suction platen that achieves stable sucking of a sheet held with the platen by acting a suction force on a back face of the sheet.